Full-time Howe firefighters would move onto a fixed pay ladder, with monthly bonuses for advanced training and college degrees, under a proposal the City Council considers at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 17.
Fire Chief Gary Estep's plan sets annual base pay for a probationary firefighter at $64,896, rising to $72,978 by the fifth year. Engineers would earn from $73,343 to $82,483 and captains from $82,896 to $87,944, depending on years in the job.
On top of base pay, eligible full-time employees could collect monthly incentives:
- $50 to $100 for intermediate, advanced or master firefighter certification from the Texas Commission on Fire Protection
- $25 to $100 each for fire officer and fire instructor certifications
- $100 for EMT-Intermediate and $200 for paramedic
- $50 for an associate degree and $100 for a bachelor's degree
The paramedic payment would kick in only after an employee finishes the department's field training program and receives sign-off through the department's medical control, the proposal says. Estep writes that the structure is meant to help recruit and keep firefighters and recommends a yearly review against comparable cities.
City Administrator Monte Walker's memo calls it "a minimal change" modeled on the Howe Police Department's pay scale, and staff recommend approval.
Budget changes that go with it
The council will also take up an amendment to the 2026-27 budget that Walker says builds in the step plan and cuts $69,212 from the fire department's overtime line. The same amendment:
- removes the request for two additional police officers
- drops the lease of two new Teslas for police, saving $47,000, while adding $28,000 to the fire department's vehicle lease for ambulance improvements
- lowers the top of the police chief's salary range by $14,352 and raises the fire chief's pay by about $13,409 "to narrow the gap" between the two posts
- raises pay for part-time firefighters while cutting their hours, which Walker describes as having no net cost
- gives the permit technician and court clerk 4% raises
- increases the audit budget from $50,000 to $92,000
- cuts expected water and sewer capital recovery fees by $100,000 each, based on trends
Taken together, the changes reduce projected revenue by $200,000 and spending by about $217,292, according to the memo.
In a report to the council, Estep lists his first 90 days of work: 15 part-time employees and 10 volunteers added, $110,000 in grants secured and an advanced training facility set up under the Texas Commission on Fire Protection. Walker's own report says the city has interviewed 12 candidates for police chief and expects to bring finalists to the council at the same meeting.
Sources
cityofhowetx.gov
